Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Upon hearing the three military orders, Emperor Jingsheng's eyes showed solemnity. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said:

"As Zijie said in his previous memorial, reform and innovation are not like entertaining guests, writing essays, painting, or embroidering. They cannot be so elegant, so unhurried, so refined, or so gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest."

"The reform was an uprising, a violent act by which the newly formed military interest group overthrew the old, corrupt military interest group!"

"After the reports from Jiangnan, the factional coup attempts, and the assassinations, I am now becoming increasingly clear about the situation."

"Reform and innovation affect the interests of countless people; it cannot be accomplished simply by talking. This applies not only to military reform but also to new policies. It is absolutely impossible to achieve without taking decisive action!"

Emperor Jingsheng, who had been emperor for ten years, was certainly aware of the risks involved in these three military orders.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!

Jia Jing's three military orders were not simply about cutting off people's livelihoods.

Instead, they were directly after the lives, titles, official positions, and property of countless military officers and garrison commanders in the capital!

It is no exaggeration to say that once these three military orders were issued, the entire military officers in the capital region would be in an uproar.

It could even directly trigger mutiny, riots, and desperate acts by garrison officers.

If Jia Jing were to issue these three military orders, he would instantly offend almost all the military officers in the entire capital region, truly becoming a thorn in the side of countless people.

Emperor Jingsheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "He truly deserves to be called a wise minister who appeared in the dream. How many people in the entire Han Dynasty have such integrity, who disregard personal reputation and gain and are wholeheartedly devoted to the country!"

Only someone as pure as him could truly entrust the court's military affairs to him with complete peace of mind!

Jia Jing said:

"No one is wiser than Your Majesty! I predict that once these three military orders are issued, the military officers and generals in the capital region will quickly divide into three camps."

"Those who embezzle large amounts of farmland, misappropriate funds, or violate laws and regulations will resolutely resist by all means, such as bribery and impeachment, creating disturbances, or even inciting soldiers to rise up in rebellion."

Those who encroach on military farmland and embezzle limited quotas will observe the situation. They will not directly confront the authorities, but will instead stall, feign compliance while secretly seeking instructions on everything.

"The largest group of people are those who use bureaucratic red tape to slow down military reforms, observing the situation while waiting for the court to change its mind."

"Those who rarely break the law may secretly align themselves with the imperial court and voluntarily declare their return of the stolen goods. Discerning individuals might even seize this opportunity to become the next generation of meritorious officials in the Jing Sheng lineage of our Great Han!"

"During this period, what I need to do is to strengthen our military and gather intelligence. When the time is right, I will lead a large army to crush those who resist with lightning speed and punish them severely according to the law."

"At the same time, establish several role models who actively report and cooperate, and either promote or reward them, using stark contrast to break down the psychological defenses of many who are still observing."

"In addition, those with minor offenses will be punished leniently, or even given a lighter sentence."

"This way, we can quickly establish authority and rectify the situation without pushing everyone to the opposite side, causing chaos in the capital region, and harming innocent people."

This was a major reshuffle of the military officers of Shenjing and the military garrisons in the capital region. Decisiveness and swiftness were merely means to an end; the real goal was to reshape the military system of the Han Dynasty.

From then on, the situation of the Han army would inevitably change rapidly and become increasingly complex.

The reason Jia Jing spoke so clearly at this time was to give Emperor Jingsheng a heads-up, to make him aware that a mutiny or riot might occur later, so that he could be prepared.

Emperor Jingsheng pondered for a while and sighed:

"Zijie's method is both swift and decisive, yet also methodical and thorough. It combines ruthlessness in dealing with corrupt officials with compassion for the people. It is a perfect blend of firmness and leniency, in accordance with the principles of Heaven and the hearts of the people. It is decisive and insightful. You have truly made great progress!"

He paused, then said decisively:

"You already have a plan for this matter. Just go ahead and do it boldly without any worries."

"I appoint you as the Grand Minister of State for Military Affairs, entrusting you with the management and reorganization of the nation's military affairs. In other words, I entrust the safety of the nation and my own well-being to you! I will fully support you from the palace!"

"Just remember one thing..."

Jia Jing's expression turned serious, and he said:

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jingsheng's expression turned solemn, his eyes flashing coldly, and he spoke slowly, word by word:

"Military reform is crucial to the nation's rejuvenation. Those who deserve to be killed should be killed, and those who deserve to be arrested should be arrested. We must eradicate old malpractices without the slightest leniency!"

Jia Jing was taken aback when he heard this. He had been worried that his methods were too drastic and that Emperor Jingsheng would not be able to withstand the pressure brought about by the military reforms. He had thought of preparing him psychologically in advance.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Jingsheng was worried that he would hesitate and have a burden in his heart, and would show leniency!

Seeing Jia Jing stunned, Emperor Jingsheng's eyes showed a hint of emotion as he said in a deep voice:

"Zijie! I have read every single one of your reports on the investigations of over a hundred garrisons in Shuntian Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, Zhengding Prefecture, Yongping Prefecture, and other places these past few days!"

"The imperial guard system has become a mere formality after a century, the root cause of which lies in the encroachment of military farmland by nobles in the capital and military officers in the guards."

"The military fields became their own estates and private manors, and the military households became their own tenants. This was not an isolated phenomenon, but a widespread one."

"As you stated in your memorial, the average desertion rate of soldiers in the garrisons near the capital has reached as high as 70% or even 80%, simply because the military officers in the garrisons treat the soldiers as slaves, forcibly occupying farmland, ruthlessly exploiting them, and wantonly bullying them."

"This led to countless tragedies of 'selling wives and children' and 'starving or freezing to death.' I witnessed the plight of the old woman and her family in Liangxiangying, whose lives were as worthless as weeds, and the scene of them lining up to sell themselves into servitude to pay off debts in front of the Marquis of Pingyuan's mansion—it pained me to no end!"

"The remaining imperial soldiers have all become the private armies and retainers of the military officers and generals. They have no regard for the court and no discipline whatsoever."

"Harassing civilians and robbing their property were commonplace, to the point that the people around the capital feared the 'government soldiers' even more than they feared bandits."

"Given such a dire situation, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the military affairs around the capital region are a complete rotten shell."

"Actually... I wasn't completely unaware of this situation before. The reason why the puppet Qing army was able to reach the gates of Shenjing several times was precisely because they were so easily defeated, corrupt, and incompetent."

"Therefore, in my opinion, the reorganization of military affairs in the capital region must be thoroughly cleansed up, swiftly and decisively eradicated, and these deep-seated problems must be eradicated with a firm resolve!"

Jia Jing personally visited the garrisons surrounding Shenjing.

A month prior, he had also dispatched his personal guards as investigation teams to thoroughly investigate the actual situation of each garrison, compile these findings into a book, and truthfully report them to Emperor Jingsheng.

In retrospect, these circumstances have deeply wounded Emperor Jingsheng's heart, to the point that he hates them so much that he grits his teeth and specifically instructs Jia Jing not to be lenient!

However, this comparison made Jia Jing feel a little strange. How come Emperor Jingsheng... seemed to be even more hardline than him, a hardliner, on the matter of reform and innovation!